Thursday, June 2, 2005

Spotlight
Good news for chocolate lovers! Research shows that dark chocolate, rich in flavonoids, can help lower risk of heart disease and some kinds of cancer. With cacao beans a great source of flavonoids, the higher the cacao content, the greater the benefit. But, don't start serving chocolate bars for dinner yet. Its high calorie count means that eating broccoli and drinking green tea are still better sources of the healthful compound. (story)

Quote
"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." – Dave Barry

Word of the day
conching: the grinding process that chocolate goes through before tempering (© )

Today's News

• Milagros Cerron: Surgeons separate legs of Peruvian girl with mermaid syndrome (story)
• Spitzer Space Telescope: records 100,000 star births (story)
• Westminster Abbey: nixes on-site filming of Da Vinci Code movie (story)

Today's History

• Grover Cleveland: became 1st and only US president to wed in the White House (1886)
• Lou Gehrig: baseball great died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, now known as Lou Gehrig's disease (1941)
• Queen Elizabeth II: coronation held at Westminster Abbey (1953)

Today's Birthdays

• writers: Marquis de Sade (1740-1814), Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), Barbara Pym (1913-1980)
• Marvin Hamlisch: winner of Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards (61)
• TV: Dennis Haysbert (51), Wayne Brady (33)